The jailer thereupon opened the cell door, and the Jolly-cum-pop,having wrapped sixteen suits of clothes around his left arm as ashield, and holding in his right hand the iron bar which had been cutfrom his window, stepped boldly into the corridor, and confronted thejailer and his myrmidons.

"It will be useless for you to resist," he exclaimed. "You are but four,and we are seventeen. If you had been wise you would have made us allcheating shop-keepers, chicken thieves, or usurers. Then you mighthave been able to control us; but when you see before you a desperatehighwayman, a daring smuggler, a blood-thirsty pirate, a wilypoacher, a powerful ruffian, a reckless burglar, a bold conspirator,and a murderer by proxy, you well may tremble!"

The jailer and his myrmidons looked at each other in dismay.

"We sigh for no blood," continued the Jolly-cum-pop, "and willreadily agree to terms. We will give you your choice: Will you allowus to honorably surrender, and peacefully disperse to our homes, orshall we rush upon you in a body, and, after overpowering you bynumbers, set fire to the jail, and escape through the cracklingtimbers of the burning pile?"

The jailer reflected for a minute. "It would be much better, perhaps," hesaid, "that you should surrender and disperse to your homes."